Fruit

Can I feed fruit to chickens?

I have just started feeding them bits and pieces like carrot peelings, lettuce, etc.  They don't rush to eat it but it is gone when I go back later.

But I wondered if they will eat chopped apple, bananas, melon - that sort of thing.

Hi mine love water melon and go crazy for grapes, now its strawberry season they also like them! but with all treats not too many!!

Thanks for that.  I will try them out on different things. 

I was worried that some fruit could be poisonous to them - so I will avoid banana's and avocado and give them the basics.

When I picked up my first hens 3 years ago the breeder told me not to feed them raw potato peelings and lettuce.  Is this correct? Many thanks.

Definitely not raw potato peelings (cooked is fine), however I feed mine lettuce in moderation - too much lettuce can give them a bit of a runny botty, so I've heard!

May i ask why chopped ? Hens are very adept at taking things apart and it gives them something to do for a few minutes, a melon rind will keep them amused for ages.

My pullets live under a couple of feijoa trees (I don't know if you grow feijoas over there?)  The girls will peck at the flesh if a wild bird has already opened the fruit, but they won't go through the hard skin to get to the yummy soft bit.

When I first picked my girls up from the breeder they were penned under a pear tree.  When I brought them home they had very sticky head-feathers from sticking their heads in pears. 

I couldn't persuade mine to try melon in the summer.  They seem to like banana though.  A lot of chickens like tomato, but not mine.

Basically, just like humans, they have their likes and dislikes.  Just try them on things once in a while and see what happens.  But make sure to clear away any uneaten fruit before it goes rotten as eating rotten fruit can cause serious health problems.